OUR TEAM
Our TEAM is a carefully selected group of accomplished leaders, educators, coaches, and subject matter experts with more than 400 years of combined multidisciplinary experience. Our expertise spans leadership development, team performance, emotional intelligence, resilience, wellness, clinical psychology, equine-assisted learning, U.S. Special Operations, nutrition, and Civil War history. This diverse background enables us to deliver unique, impactful learning experiences that connect leadership principles to real-world challenges. We teach, train, and challenge individuals to reach their full measure—their highest potential to lead with purpose, integrity, and impact. Our mission is to develop Trusted Leaders who inspire confidence, build strong relationships, and create lasting results. Trusted Leadership is not an innate trait; it is developed through intentional learning, practical experience, and continuous growth. By combining proven principles with immersive experiences, we help individuals build the character, competence, and compassion required to lead effectively in today's complex world. Leadership is not a destination—it is a lifelong journey. We are committed to helping individuals and organizations succeed every step of the way.
SHAWN CASSIDY
Founder & CEO
Shawn is an lifelong learner, entrepreneur, leadership strategist, trainer and author, dedicated to helping individuals and organizations reach their highest potential through trusted leadership, emotional intelligence, resilience, and team development. As Founder and CEO of the Leadership and Freedom Center, The Institute for Cyber Threat Defense, The Lodges at Gettysburg, and the Global Wellness Center, Shawn teaches, trains, and speaks on leadership development, stress management, military family wellness, team culture, and building high-performing, trust-based organizations.
Central to Shawn’s work is his registered H2G framework, introduced in his book From Fears to Freedom: The H2G Revolution. H2G is a leadership and lifestyle methodology designed to help individuals and teams build trust, strengthen resilience, and achieve their “full measure” — their highest human potential. Influenced by his upbringing in a large, close-knit military family, Shawn developed a deep belief in the power of character, service, accountability, and trusted relationships as the foundation of effective leadership.
Shawn’s work has been endorsed by internationally recognized leadership experts including Marshall Goldsmith, Ken Blanchard, and the late Warren Bennis, widely regarded as a pioneer in modern leadership studies. At age 20, Shawn served as the youngest speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign, an experience that shaped his lifelong passion for leadership and public service.
For more than 30 years, Shawn has worked with Fortune 500 companies, U.S. government agencies, educational institutions, and elite military organizations to develop leaders and strengthen organizational culture. Since 2005, he has partnered extensively with the U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) community, providing training in leadership development, emotional intelligence, stress management, resiliency, health and wellness. He is also co-founder of the Department of War-vetted Resilient Warrior Operator and Spouse Wellness Program, along with CMSgt Anthony Negron (Ret.) AFSOC PJ, supporting active-duty operators and their families.
Shawn studied at the University of Southern California, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing with an emphasis in Behavioral Science, along with graduate studies in Business Administration, Public Policy, and Political Economy. Shawn and his wife, Ellena, have been married for 35 years and are proud parents and grandparents. They reside in San Diego, California, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
JEFF UTSCH
Jeff has 30 years experience training U.S. military Special Operations Forces and 30 years experience in business as president and CEO of a small company.
Using skills he developed as an All-American swimmer, Jeff currently serves as an instructor to the Navy SEALs/ Naval Special Warfare community where he teaches specialized tactical swimming. Through intensive self-study, Jeff has become a scholar and historian with a keen interest in the lessons of American history and the Civil War and can be heard on his iHeart Radio podcast Constitutional Conversations.
Jeff graduated from the University of Arizona where he earned his degree in Aerospace Engineering.
ERIK CONKLIN
M.A., Ed.D.
Erik is a Compassion Cultivation Teacher certified at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education housed at Stanford University’s Medical School, as well as a graduate of U.C.L.A.’s Mindful Awareness Research Center housed at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.
Erik's research was awarded a David and Lucille Packard Foundation Fellowship for Excellence for Children, Families, and Communities at the University of California, San Diego doctoral leadership program and he is a regular presenter and facilitator at peer-reviewed research conferences. His teaching and coaching experience includes working with athletes, students, parents, researchers, active and U.S. retired military and U.S. government agency intelligence and law enforcement personnel.
LORIE TUBBS SANDER
Certified Nutritionist
26 years in the health and fitness nutrition field, Lori is an Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner (IFNCP), Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and holds a Masters Health Science (MS). Lori has taught and trained nutrition, health best practices and fitness to our U.S. Special Operations Forces and U.S. Department of Defense. For over 20 years Lorie has supported U.S. military commands with best practices relating to operational performance, health longevity and optimal sustenance required for strenuous training evolutions. Lori earned a B.S. in Athletic training from San State University and her Masters of Science/Health Sciences from California State University, San Bernardino.
JOE BONVIE, Psy.D, ABPP, CMPC
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Joe Bonvie is a Board-Certified clinical psychologist with over twenty-five years of expertise in behavioral health and applied behavioral science, working with high-performance teams. Dr. Bonvie is an instructor at Harvard Medical School, U.S. Navy Captain (Ret.) who worked with our U.S. Special Operations Forces throughout his career focusing on the mental, emotional and physical needs of the operators and their families.
Dr. Bonvie is currently Senior Director of Clinical Services at Home Base. He has been at the forefront of behavioral health care and resiliency development.
Dr. Bonvie earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Florida Tech after completing an APA accredited internship at the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, MD.
ANTHONY NEGRON
Chief Master Sergeant, USAF (ret.)
Tony's commitment to teaching and training leadership, resiliency and wellness come out of his 26-year career as a Pararescueman and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) operator overseeing some of the most critical and strategic Purple Heart recipient. Tony's focus to serve continued after transitioning from the military as CEO of S.E.I. - a company working directly with the Department of Defense in providing training to active duty
special operations personnel in Leadership, Medical, Tactical, Mountaineering and Preservation of The Force and Family.
Tony is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pararescue Foundation and is the driving force in the organization's mission to support and relieve the physical and psychological demands of the service borne and provide strategy and education on transition, all while honoring and preserving the Pararescue legacy. Tony is committed to helping veterans navigate transition and reintegrate back into the civilian workforce through education and job placement. Tony attended the Command's University of Virginia Darden School of Business course and has degrees in Applied Science Personnel Recovery and
Criminal Justice from the Community College of the Air Force.
KATIUSCIA NEGRON
Born and raised in Italy, Katiuscia Negron is a devoted Catholic, proud military spouse of twenty-five years, and mother of four boys. Katiuscia is a career military spouse and a spouse and family resiliency coach and confidant. She is an artist and teacher whose life is, guided by faith, family, and a passion for creativity. Katiuscia earned a college degree in painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Lecce, Italy. Her artwork reflects her cultural background and southern heritage, with rich and vibrant colors that intertwine with her personal life experiences.
Katiuscia finds joy in expressing herself through art, cooking, and music. Her dedication to education and her love for continuous growth reflect her belief in the beauty of lifelong learning and the power of nurturing others.
EMILY KRAINES
Emily is a Gold Star Spouse and widow to USAF Sergeant Peter Kraines, a Special Tactics Pararescueman with the 24th Special Operations Wing, who died in 2019 from injuries sustained in a training incident while performing mountain rescue techniques in Idaho. Peter's life was modeled by the motto of his career, "These Things we Do, That Other May Live, Together, Peter and Emily had a focus to love God and love others. Emily has continued to have that as her life focus from the moment she stepped into widowhood. As a Team Lead Instructor in our "Resilient Warrior" Preservation of the Force and Family Wellness program, Emily passionately serves the mental, emotional and physical needs of special operators, their spouses and families. Emily is a marketing graduate of VA Tech University and the mother of two young children.
DR. GLENN FERGUSON
MAJ. (USAF Ret.) Ph.D
Glenn teaches and trains on the applied leadership lessons from the Battle of Gettysburg. He also has a keen focus on helping build resiliency in military families.
He spent 21 years in the U.S. Air Force of which 9 years were spent in Air Force Special Operations. He commanded an Air Force Special Operations Helicopter Unit in Panama; is a master aviator (Command Pilot) with 3,200 flying hours and has expertise with both fixed and rotary wings.
Glenn graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1971. He went on to receive his Master's in international Relations and his Ph.D in American History from Florida State University. Glen taught 13 years as a professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He instructed leadership, special operations, combined arms and joint war fighting, military strategy, and theory and doctrine.
DENISE SCHULTZ
CEIP
For 40 years, Denise has been passionate about horses and the profound connection between humans and animals. Introduced to horses at age 14, she dedicated decades to understanding, raising, and working alongside them as a Certified Equine Interaction Professional (CEIP). For over ten years she has been integrating her lifelong equine experience into therapeutic and wellness-based programs designed to help individuals and military families enhance their mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
As founder of 2 Heart Horse Farm, Denise is devoted to advancing Human-Horse Harmony through experiential equine-assisted programs that foster self-awareness, personal growth, resilience, and meaningful connection. The farm's name reflects her belief in the powerful partnership between horse and human and the transformative impact that relationship can have on overall wellness and quality of life.
In addition to her work in equine-assisted wellness, Denise is an accomplished hospitality executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience. As General Manager of The Lodges at Gettysburg, she oversees the 63-acre private retreat and event destination known for blending rustic elegance with exceptional guest experiences. She leads all aspects of operations, revenue strategy, team development, and guest
engagement, ensuring excellence at every stage of the customer journey.
Whether working with guests, teams, or horses, Denise's leadership is rooted in connection, purpose, and service. She is passionate about helping people discover their strengths, build meaningful relationships, and create lasting positive change in their lives and communities.